A GIFT OF FIRE:

SOCIAL, LEGAL, AND ETHICAL ISSUES FOR COMPUTING AND THE INTERNET (3rd
ed.)
by Sara Baase
TERM PAPER SAMPLE TOPICS
Updated Aug. 9, 2009
Your topic does not have to come from this list. These are suggestions. The brief comments and
questions for each topic are just a few ideas to spark your imagination and get you started.

THE TOPIC LIST

Deep packet inspection.
What is it? What are its positive uses? What are its negative uses? Give examples. Consider
network security, censorship, management of network traffic, privacy, and any other relevant
areas.(Topic added Aug. 9, 2009)
Devices to assist people with disabilities.
Report on computer-based technologies that assist people with disabilities. Consider blind
people, deaf people, people who use wheelchairs, people with limited use of their hands and
arms, etc. Describe some of the new tools and their impact. Discuss issues such as cost, any
problems with these devices, etc. (Focus on newer developments, e.g., devices not mentioned in
the textbook.)
Identification and biometrics.
A company sells an identification chip that is implanted under a person's skin. About the size of
a grain of rice, it contains personal information and emits a radio signal that identifies the person.
Give examples of where the chips is currently used. Discuss beneficial uses, potential problems
and abuses, and appropriate guidelines for use of such a chip and other identification
technologies, including various biometrics.
Telemedicine.
Describe applications, from remote consultation to remote surgery. Benefits, possible problem
areas (privacy, errors, loss of personalized care).
Health information on the Web.
Research and report on Web-based health information sites, including such issues as benefits,
reliability of the information, privacy protections, techniques being developed to rate or accredit
sites, impact on medical care. Patients of some healthcare providers can access their own
records online. Describe an example. How does it affect medical care?
Privacy on the Web.

What's happening now? Recent abuses and improvements. Describe and

evaluate Web site policies and technical and policy privacy protections
provided by the market, and current proposals for government regulations.
Privacy for organizations and businesses.
All our discussion of privacy concerns privacy for people. There have
been incidents in which sensitive information that organizations and
businesses must provide to government agencies has been made public,
intentionally, accidentally, or by leaks. Release of information about
fund-raising, sales plans, pricing, members, or customers might aid
competitors. Release of information about manufacture of, storage of,
and security for certain chemicals could aid terrorists. Report on
some cases and discuss reasonable extensions of principles about
privacy for organizations and businesses.
Personal data privacy regulations in other countries.
Report on personal data privacy regulations, Web site privacy policies,
and law enforcement access to personal data in one or more countries,
e.g. the European Union.
Computers in law enforcement.
Issues include benefits to crime fighting, invasion of privacy,
problems caused for innocent people because of errors. Describe cases
where a computer system has been very helpful in catching a criminal
or vindicating an innocent person, and describe cases where a computer
system has caused serious problems. An activity for this project could
include a ride-along in a police car. (A few students did this in the
past and found it very instructive.) Another possible activity is to
interview someone who runs or supervises the use of local law enforcement
computer systems. What databases do they access? How do they prevent
unauthorized access?
Computers in the legal/justice system.
Describe systems in use, from legal databases to artificial intelligence
programs that help judges determine sentences. Consider the possibility
of AI systems making judgments in some legal cases. Describe and evaluate
pros and cons.
Technological responses to terrorism.
Describe and evaluate some of the computer-based technologies implemented
or expanded after Sept. 11, 2001. Consider effectiveness, cost, impact
on daily life, air travel, risks, etc., and arguments related to privacy
and civil liberties.
Children on the Internet.
There are several problem areas: availability of material not appropriate

for children, contact with people who seek to abuse children, and privacy
risks from game sites that ask children for extensive personal and
family information (for marketing purposes). How serious are these
problems? What is being done about them? Evaluate various solutions.
Do benefits for children on the Net outweigh risks? Can we arrange to
have the benefits without the risks?
The Global Economy.
What are the roles and impacts of computers and communications
technology in the increase of trans-border economic activity (e.g.,
eBay as a global garage sale; customer service workers in other
countries handling U.S. consumer calls; databases to track the origin
of a cow with Mad Cow Disease; etc.)? What are the benefits? What are
the problems? Is this aspect of increased globalization a good thing
for people in the U.S., for people in other countries, for humanity in
general?
Automated systems.
Study progress, safety, and social issues related to an automated system
such as automated highways and self-driving vehicles.
Safety-critical applications.
Find a local application to study, or study the Air Traffic Control
system, systems to prevent train crashes, a particular area of medical
devices, or other similar topic. Describe systems in use, discuss
benefits and risks.
Use of computer and Web technology by restaurants.
Investigate and discuss issues such as customer service, impact on
employment, food safety, ambiance. Visit a restaurant with self-service
ordering terminals. Some fast food restaurants use robotic devices
for food preparation; report on one. Interview a waiter or restaurant
manager. (This could be part of a paper that looks at the impact of
computer automation in two or three industries or consumer services.)
Spam.
Describe and evaluate technical solutions, current legislation and
regulation, and significant proposed legislation. Some people propose
that the federal government create a "Do not spam" list, like the "DO
not call" list for telemarketers. Discuss privacy problems that could
occur with implementation of such a list. Discuss the roles of technical
and legislative solutions for spam. Consider the relevance of freedom
of speech.
Censorship of the Internet.
Some aspect not covered in the text, or study some issue in more detail.

Information warfare.
Will the next wars be fought without bombs? Will computer networks and
computer-controlled infrastructure be the targets of military hackers?
What is happening now? What kind of defenses are possible?
Recent copyright battles for music and movies.
Report on several recent strategies used by the entertainment industries
(legal, technological, and business) to prevent unauthorized copying.
Evaluate the effectiveness and ethics of the methods. Describe current
controversies.
Free software and open source software.
What's happening with "free" software and open-source software now?
What is their impact? What are the implications for consumers? For big
companies like Microsoft?
Identity theft.
What is the current state of the problem? Describe relevant laws. How
have consumers and businesses changed behavior in response to Identity
Theft? What technical solutions have developed?
Hacktivism.
Report on specific incidents or organizations engaged in hacktivism.
Compare to civil disobedience and to other kinds of hacking.
Are Web issues really new?
Choose two other technologies or innovations, such as radio, telegraph,
railroads, or electricity, and find out what ethical, social, and legal
issues and controversies arose about them. Compare the problems and
issues to current problems and issues about the Web. What solutions
developed? How well do those solutions fit the Web?
Computers and the environment.
How are computers used by nature researchers and organizations. Describe
applications that help protect the environment. Describe aspects of
computers that cause environmental problems. What do environmentalists
think of computers?
Political activism on the Net in the U.S. (or other politically free country).
How has the Internet helped or hurt political groups outside the
mainstream? How is it used by major political parties and candidates?
What is the impact? How do/should current regulations about political
campaigns affect individuals and small organizations that set up Web
pages to support/oppose candidates and issues?

Politial organizing in unfree countries.

Choose one country or a few countries that restrict political freedom.
Describe how people use social networking sites and other Internet
technologies to organize political events, strikes, protests, boycotts,
etc. How have these techniques affected the politics of the country?
How have the governments responded? What do these experiences suggest
for the future of political freedom and democracy?
Electronic Voting and Internet Voting.
The U.S. and some other countries have experimented with voting on the
Internet or using electronic voting machines. How successful were the
first experiments? Will most political elections be held on the Internet
in the future? Discuss the problems of maintaining secret ballots,
preventing election fraud, and providing for recounts (for both electronic
voting machines and Internet voting). What other issues are relevant?
How are the states (and other nations) handling these issues?
Violence in video/computer games.
What is the impact on children? How does it differ from television?
Interview people who write and publish computer games to find out their
policies and views about violent games.
Use of the Web in schools.
Are students being taught to use the Web effectively, wisely, and safely?
Distance learning.
What are the common uses? What will be the impact on universities? On
adult education? Is cheating a problem?
Monitoring of employees' Web use and e-mail.
What policies are employers using? Perhaps study a few large businesses
in your area. Evaluate policies for different kinds of employers (e.g.,
for your university, covering students, faculty, and staff, and for a
software company in a highly competitive business).
Cyberspace communities.
What makes a "community"? How do cyberspace communities handle
decision making, dealing with troublesome members, etc.? Find one
community to study in depth, preferably one that you are a member of
or have a special interest in. (Please respect the community's privacy
guidelines and ask permission if quoting members.)
Gender or ethnic issues.
The _Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering_ might
have some useful articles for background and ideas for specific projects.

There have been several studies of differences in the way men and women
use computers. Compare Web sites aimed at women or at specific ethnic
minority audiences with the Web in general.
Computing and network access in other countries.
For example, how are computers used in rural, poor areas of Africa?
Choose one country to study in depth or compare a few.
Science fiction and prediction.
Find several science fiction stories published at least 30 years ago
that are set in the present time or near future and describe computer
and communications technologies. Report on how closely their view of
the technology corresponds to what is actually available. What social
benefits and problems did they anticipate?
What will the world be like 50 years from now?
How will electronic communications and commerce affect the power of
centralized governments? Everyday life? What will happen as computers
are connected to the human body? Will human intelligence be of less
value in the future? Several experts have written books addressing
these issues. You could read two or three and evaluate their predictions.